The Federal Mental Health Parity and Addictions Equity Act requiring health plans to provide mental health benefits on par with medical benefits has been in place since 2008.

Final regulations go into effect this January, explicitly stating that health plans must pay for individuals with mental health conditions to receive medically necessary residential treatment as well as other forms of intermediate care, such intensive outpatient and partial hospitalization, in parity with other medical conditions

This is a game changer. Now, families who have a loved one with a serious mental health condition may consider intensive treatment and insurance will have to cover it.

But there is a catch. Just because there’s a law on the books doesn’t mean insurance companies will adhere to it–unless they’re made to. Lawmakers throughout history have had to write laws and budget money for enforcement of these laws. Without enforcement, a law is just a written statement.

In California, we are fortunate to have legislators such as state Sens. Darrell Steinberg and Jim Beall, both longtime champions of mental health rights. Just in time for these regulations to go into effect, Beall (D-Campbell) has obtained the governor’s and Legislature’s support to provide more funding in this year’s budget for enforcement agencies to make sure insurance companies comply with the Federal Mental Health Parity act.

Budgeting for more government employees does not make the sexiest legislation. However, it is as important as the law itself. And in this case, the new positions will be funded by a fee on the insurance companies, not out of the state’s general fund.

The budget allocates $2.5 million for the state’s insurance enforcement and regulatory bodies. The California Department of Managed Health Care and Department of Insurance will use this money to hire additional staff to enforce parity laws.

For consumers, this means if you have a loved one with a mental health condition in need of intensive treatment, and your insurance company says no, these two state departments will be available to help you. They can ensure the law is being followed. If there is a dispute around whether or not a treatment is needed, they can send your case for an independent medical review.

As health care advocates with a Bay Area nonprofit, we would like to thank Beall. Our organization helps families throughout the U.S. obtain insurance coverage of medically necessary treatments for autism and other mental health conditions.

In California, our job is immeasurably easier than in several other states, as we have the backing of regulators to force the hand of insurance companies if they are out of compliance. This means the difference between a family being able to obtain a legally entitled treatment for their loved one or not!

Insurance is a service that families pay for. As such, they are entitled to coverage of therapeutic mental health treatments outlined in their benefits package and required under the Affordable Care Act and both state and Federal Mental Health Parity acts. Too often insurance companies do not meet their legal requirements and families are left without recourse. We thank the legislators who stood tall and acted to protect and help California’s families.

Karen Fessel is the founder and executive director of the Autism Health Insurance Project, a nonprofit organization that helps secure insurance coverage for mental health conditions. Go to www.autismhealthinsurance.org for more information. She wrote this for this newspaper.